So You Moved to Downtown Brooklyn: A Food Guide

Graphic by Bernadette Berdychowski

As you settle into your class schedule, the ins and outs of your day, don't forget to explore the city. You only have four years here, and any upperclassmen can attest that they fly by. 

Start with these three restaurants. Because what better way to explore than through food. 

Apollo Diner

Address: 155 Livingston St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Hours: 6 am - 10 pm

|| Photo by Ryan Turner

Apollo Diner is the restaurant iHop wishes it was. Located three blocks west of City Point at 159 Livingston St., the new Apollo Diner serves everything from buffalo wings to Eggs Benedict. With its classic diner ambiance, the new Apollo is a great place to start the day, or end the night. The dining space is big, even by suburban standards, so there is plenty of space for fifteen or twenty people. The decor is quaint, as if they consulted with my grandfather for interior design advice. Plastic plants are strewn about, along with the muted television sets mounted on the walls. Prices are pretty standard by New York way, with an 8oz burger costing $5.50. A good-sized breakfast will cost you about $12.

Costing only $4.35, the pancakes - served with warm syrup and more than enough butter - are fluffy, filling and most importantly, cheap.

99 Cent Fresh Hot Pizza

Address: 51 Willoughby St, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Hours: 10 am - 9:30 pm

Pizza rests in the heart of New York City, and is virtually a cultural artifact. And in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn, there’s 99 Cent Fresh Hot Pizza, at 51 Willoughby St. Though uncreative with its name, this pizza joint has everything you want from a New York slice: hot, fresh, and 99 cents. For $2.75, you can get two slices and a soda, and for 8 bucks you can get a whole pie.The store itself is pretty unassuming, just a few booths and a bar. But you don’t eat at a pizzeria for the ambiance, you eat there for the pizza - and this is good pizza. It’s simple, and that’s important, but it’s good. The cheese is stringy but not grease. The crust is chewy but not dense. No pomp and circumstance, just quintessential pizza.  

Mile End Delicatessen

Address: 97 Hoyt St, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Hours: M-F 8:00 am - 4 pm, Saturday 10:00 am - 11 pm, Sunday 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

For the finer things in life, there is the Mile End Delicatessen at 97 Hoyt Street. Toronto cafe meets Brooklyn deli, the Mile End is on the pricier side, but definitely worth the try. The Mont Royal, potato latkes with smoked salmon, sour cream and domestic caviar, are surprisingly only fifteen dollars. Mile End won’t break the bank, but one shouldn’t go to this place every other night. They even serve that much-talked-about Canadian classic, poutine.

The black-painted, brick exterior sets the building apart from the block. Against this background, the white lettering of their sign sets a simple contrast that displays their uncomplicated approach to food. The price you pay is for both quality and quantity; you’ll be getting a lot of scrumptious food.